Press Release

JON DEEBLE (AUSTRALIA)
He pitched 16 years for the Australian National Team, appearing in the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul. Beginning in 1994, Deeble managed in the Minor Leagues for the Florida Marlins before moving over to the Red Sox in 2002 as a scout and coach. He managed the Lowell Spinners, Boston's farm team in the New York-Penn League, in 2003. As manager of Australia's National Team, he won a silver medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Jon Deeble became a coach at the Major League level when he accepted a position with the Boston Red Sox during the 2005 season.

ERNIE WHITT (CANADA)
A former catcher who spent 15 seasons in the Major Leagues, Ernie Whitt hit 134 home runs and knocked in 534 runs in 1,328 games with Boston (1976), Toronto (1977-89), Atlanta (1990) and Baltimore (1991). An All-Star in 1985, Whitt played in the American League Championship Series against Kansas City in 1985 and again vs. Oakland in 1989. After retiring as a player in 1991, Whitt assumed instructor duties with Toronto. He held interim managerial duties with the Dunedin Blue Jays (A) of the Florida State League and the Syracuse SkyChiefs (AAA) of the International League in 1997, then served as minor-league catching instructor through 2002 before being named minor-league roving instructor in 2003. He also managed Team Canada at the 1999 Pan-American Games in Winnipeg, Manitoba, guiding the team to a bronze medal and falling just one spot shy of an Olympic berth. Reaching the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Whitt guided Canada to a fourth place finish, Canada's best ever. As of 2005, Whitt has served as a bench coach for the Toronto Blue Jays.

JIM LEFEBVRE (CHINA)
After winning the National League Rookie of the Year Award as a second baseman for the 1965 World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers, Jim Lefebvre went on to play seven more seasons for the Dodgers before resuming his playing career with the Lotte Orions of the Japanese League (1973-76). He moved on to coaching in 1977 and served in this capacity with several clubs - the Orions, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland and Milwaukee. Jim served as Field Director, Player Development for the Giants (1983-85), where he oversaw the development of 27 future Major League players. As a Minor League manager, he was twice voted Pacific Coast League Manager of the Year. Jim managed in the big leagues with Seattle (1989-91), Chicago Cubs (1992-93) and Milwaukee (interim 1999), and served as hitting instructor for Cincinnati (2002).

HUA-WEI LIN (CHINESE TAIPEI)
Hua-Wei Lin is a former Chinese Taipei National Team manager who brought the team to a bronze medal finish in the 2001 IBAF World Cup in Taipei.

CUBA - TO BE DETERMINED

MANNY ACTA (DOMINICAN REPUBLIC)
After signing with the Houston Astros as a non-drafted free agent infielder in 1986, Manny Acta played six seasons in Houston's minor league system before serving as a coach with Asheville (A) of the South Atlantic League in 1992. His managerial debut came with Auburn (A) of the New York-Penn League in 1993 and his tenure continued through 1996. In 1997, he managed Montreal's Quad City (A) team of the Midwest League. From 1998-2000, he was the manager for the Expos' Kissimmee (A) club of the Florida State League, leading the team to its first ever league championship and being named Manager of the Year. After serving as a coach for the Expos' New Orleans (AAA) club in 2001, Acta became the third base and infield coach for the Montreal Expos (2002-04). He managed for the Orientales Stars in the Dominican Winter League after the 2002 season and managed the Licey Tigers to the regular season championship following the 2003 season. Beginning in 2005, Acta assumed third base coaching duties for the New York Mets.

ITALY - TO BE DETERMINED

SADAHARU OH (JAPAN)
Sadaharu Oh holds the all-time record for home runs in professional baseball with 868, all during a 22-year span playing for the Yomiuri Giants in Japan. He set a Japanese baseball record by hitting 55 home runs in 1964 (now shared with two other players). Oh's accomplishments include leading the league in home runs (15 times), RBI (13 times) and batting average (five times); twice achieving a batting triple crown; 11 team championships; nine Most Valuable Player Awards and 18 All-Star game appearances. He retired at age 40 with 2,786 hits, 2,170 RBI and a .301 lifetime batting average. He went on to manage the Yomiuri Giants from 1984-88 and was inducted into the Japanese Hall of Fame in 1994. Oh came back to managing in 1995, taking over for the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks and winning a Japan Series Championship in 1999 against the Yomiuri Giants.

IN-SIK KIM (KOREA)
After playing in the Hanil Bank amateur league from 1969-72, In-Sik Kim has been fully active as a manager in Korea. His experience includes: Manager, Dong Kook Univ. (1982-85); Coach, Hai Tai Tigers (1986-89); Manager, Ssang Bang Wool Raiders (1990-92); Manager, Doo San Bears (1995-2003); Manager, Han Wha Eagles (2005-current). Kim has also managed in international competition. In 1995, he managed in the Korea-Japan Super Game, an exhibition between KBO and NPB All Stars. Kim led Team Korea in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney to a bronze medal and helped them win a gold medal in the Busan Asian Games in 2002.

PAQUIN ESTRADA (MEXICO)
Paquin Estrada tallied 26 seasons as a catcher in the Mexican Baseball League and 30 years in the Mexican Pacific Winter League, holding the record for games played in each. His eight appearances in the Caribbean Series are a record for both a catcher and Mexican player. In an abbreviated Major League Baseball career, Estrada played in one game as a member of the New York Mets in 1971, collecting a base hit in two at bats. Later that year, he was traded from the Mets to the California Angels, in a multi-player deal that included Nolan Ryan. Currently the manager of both the Culiacan Tomateros of the Mexican Pacific Winter League and the Campeche Piratas of the Mexican Baseball League, Estrada has amassed 33 years as a skipper. Since his managerial debut in 1983 when he led the Campeche Piratas to a league championship, Estrada has collected a remarkable 12 titles in the Mexican Baseball League (1983, 1990, 2004), Mexican Pacific Winter League (1983, 1985, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2004) and Caribbean Series (1996 and 2002).

ROBERT EENHOORN (NETHERLANDS)
Drafted by the New York Yankees in 1990, Robert Eenhoorn played parts of four seasons as an infielder in the Major Leagues with the New York Yankees (1994-96) and Angels (1996-97). He has the distinction of being one of only five Dutch-born players to play in the Major Leagues. After his professional playing career, the Rotterdam native returned home to the Netherlands where he has coached the Dutch National Team since 2001. In that time, he has led the Netherlands to two European Championships (2003 and 2005), an appearance in the 2004 Athens Olympics and a fourth place finish in the World Championships this past September.

ROBERTO KELLY (PANAMA)
Roberto Kelly played in the Major Leagues as an outfielder for 14 seasons from 1987-2000 with the New York Yankees (1987-1992, 2000); Cincinnati (1993-94); Atlanta (1994); Montreal (1995); Los Angeles (1995); Minnesota (1996-97); Seattle (1997) and Texas (1998-99). He hit .290 with 124 home runs and 585 RBI for his career. Kelly was a two-time All-Star with the Yankees in 1992 and 1993. After his Major League playing career, the Panama City resident played several years in the Mexican Professional Baseball League with the Diablos Rojos, a club he managed during the 2003 season. In 2004, he managed the Chinandega team in the Nicaraguan Professional Baseball League. In 2005, he managed the Augusta Greenjackets (Class A) in the San Francisco Giants organization.

JOSE OQUENDO (PUERTO RICO)
Jose Oquendo began his Major League career at the age of 19 with the New York Mets (1983-84), before being dealt to the St. Louis Cardinals (1986-1995). Known for his ability to play many positions, Oquendo established single-season major league records for the highest fielding percentage (.996) and fewest errors by a second baseman with three in 1990. He also led the league in fielding in 1989 and compiled a .992 fielding average at second base for his career. After retirement, Oquendo became a field instructor in the St. Louis farm system, working as a field instructor (1997) before managing the New Jersey affiliate. He has been the Cardinals' third-base coach since 1999.

SOUTH AFRICA - TO BE DETERMINED

BUCK MARTINEZ (UNITED STATES)
Martinez played 17 seasons in the Major Leagues and was especially known for his defensive prowess as a catcher. Originally drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1967, Martinez made his professional debut with the Kansas Royals (1969-1977) and went to finish his career with Milwaukee (1978-80) and the Toronto Blue Jays (1981-1986). He posted a .995 fielding percentage in 1984, tying the league lead among catchers with 95 games or more played. After his retirement, Martinez stayed in Toronto working as a color analyst for TSN in 1987 and began working on ESPN baseball broadcasts in 1992. In 2001, he returned to the field as manager of the Blue Jays (2001-2002). Martinez once again returned to the booth as a color analyst for Comcast SportsNet's coverage of the Baltimore Orioles in 2003. Martinez is also part of XM Satellite Radio.

LUIS SOJO (VENEZUELA)
Luis Sojo played 13 seasons as an infielder for Toronto (1990, 1993); California (1991-92); Seattle (1994-96); New York Yankees (1996-2001, 2003) and Pittsburgh (2000). In 2000, Sojo won his fourth World Series ring in five years with the Yankees, delivering a go-ahead two-RBI single in the ninth inning against the New York Mets to help clinch the Series in five games. In his Major League career, Sojo batted .261 with 36 home runs, 261 RBI, 300 runs, 103 doubles, 12 triples and 28 stolen bases in 848 games. He has also won four batting titles playing in the Venezuelan Winter League. Since retiring, Sojo has served as the third base coach for the Yankees.